Lola and the Boy Next Door

When I found out that Stephanie Perkins was releasing a new book, I was extremely excited. I read Anna and the French Kiss earlier this year and thought it fantastic. Thank you, John Green, for introducing Anna to Nerdfighteria. She's become one of my favorites. I bought the paperback for one of my IRL nerdfighter friends, and before I gave it to her, I read the the first chapter of Lola and the Boy Next Door which was in the back of the book. I read it within a few days of having gone to Mission Dolores Park (in San Francisco) for the first time, which is featured within the chapter. I had quickly established a connection with the book, but unfortunately had to wait another month to read the rest of it. It came out on September 29th. Here are a few thoughts on it:

Lola (whose given name is Dolores) Nolan lives with her fathers, Nathan and Andy, in the Castro district of San Francisco. She's a 17-year-old who believes in costume as opposed to fashion (think lots of sparke and an array of wigs), with a New Years Resolution of never wearing the same thing twice and aspirations to become a costume designer. Her parents don't approve of her 22-year-old rocker boyfriend, Max. Her best friend, Lindsey doesn't particularly care for Max, either, but Lola is convinced that everyone else just can't see how they were made for each other. Lola is very happy with life until a moving truck appears at the lavender house next door. Twins Calliope and Cricket Bell have become her neighbors once again after a two-year absence. Calliope is a seemingly perfect figure skater who had once been friends with Lola, but had become her enemy as they grew older. Cricket, a tall inventor with an excellent sense of style, is the boy who broke Lola's heart before the twins last moved away. The twins are related to Alexander Graham Bell, which is fun.

I adored this coming-of-age romance. It's very much about losing yourself and sort of hiding out (as most teenagers do at some point), only to gain a stronger, truer sense-of-self in the end. I gobbled this story right up, but despite my love for the book, I found myself not liking Lola in many parts. She was not very wise or kind in many of her relationships with the other characters. Of course, she is a teenager. In the end, though, I ended up liking her as she redeemed herself in a few ways. My favorite character is definitely Cricket. Stephanie is really good at creating cute, amazing, sweet, nerdy guys that are just my type, though I'd expect nothing less from the wife of a wizard rocker. 

As this is a companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, Anna and St. Clair dropped in for a visit. I squeed with excitement when they did. It was like seeing old friends, except ones that happen to be fictional. But you know, fictional friends can sometimes be the best ones. (If you haven't read Anna, don't worry. It's not at all important to the plot.)

As a person who lives close to San Francisco, it was awesome to watch events transpire in several places that I had been. I'm not well-traveled, so this is a rare occurrence for me. Don't get me wrong, I love to escape to other places through novels, but it's nice to come home every now and then.

I would definitely recommend this book, which charmed me into staying up til 5 AM to finish.